KISS

Genres:	Comedy • Documentaries • Heavy Metal • Kids & Family • Music & Radio • Music Videos & Concerts • Pop / Rock • Special Interest • Television
Descriptive "tags":	hard rock • classic rock • glam rock • rock • 80s
Decades Active:	1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Individual Artists:	Ace Frehley • Paul Stanley • Peter Criss

Biography

Following the demise of their previous band Wicked Lester, US heavy rock outfit Kiss was formed in 1972 by Paul Stanley (Stanley Harvey Eisen, 20 January 1952, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA; rhythm guitar/vocals) and Gene Simmons (b. Chaim Witz, 25 August 1949, Haifa, Israel; bass/vocals). The duo went on to recruit Peter Criss (b. George Peter John Criscoula, 20 December 1945, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA; drums/vocals) and Ace Frehley (b. Paul Daniel Frehley, 27 April 1951, the Bronx, New York City, New York, USA; lead guitar/vocals). At their second show at the Hotel Diplomat, Manhattan, in 1973, Flipside producer Bill Aucoin offered the band a management contract, and within two weeks they were signed to Neil Bogart’s recently established Casablanca Records. In just over a year, Kiss had released their first three albums with a modicum of success. In the summer of 1975 their fortunes changed with the release of Alive!, which spawned...

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